Adorn yourself with pride and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
Let out your outbursts of anger,
And look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him.
Look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him,
And trample down the wicked where they stand.
Hide them together in the dust;
Imprison them in the hidden place.
Then I will also confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you. (vv. 10-14)

We often act like God, boasting about our knowledge, health, wealth, and more, as if we made ourselves. Yet, we know nothing. Our judgments are full of errors. We only learn when God reveals what we have done wrong—and even then, our arrogant hearts often reject His rebuke. We try to find fault in God, stubbornly resisting Him.

In this chapter, God graciously reminds us of who we truly are—foolish and hypocritical. We rebuke God to make ourselves appear mightier than Him. In our hearts, we dream of rebellion, just as Adam did.

I want you to remember that Adam and Eve sinned before they ate the forbidden fruit. Their fault is not in their deed but in their hearts. They had no trust in God and no love for Him. Our salvation does not depend on our actions. However, theologians and ministers have no understanding. They preach Adam could earn eternal life by external obedience. God never promised Adam eternal life in exchange for obedience to His command. But that is what theologians and ministers preach. Adam’s fall happened naturally because he was not given the knowledge of God’s plan – His plan for the Kingdom through His only begotten Son, which can only be learned through suffering. Adam or Eve did not have the Holy Spirit. Adam and Eve were not like Jesus Christ. However, churches are full of Adam-worshippers. The Renaissance was a movement to praise mankind, not God. The worship of Greek gods and philosophers reveals what truly dwells in our hearts.

In both Adam’s and Job’s cases, calamity came because they needed to be taught. Such knowledge cannot be gained through words alone—it must be learned through suffering. In the same way, we face turmoil in our own lives for the sake of that knowledge. We may wish to avoid suffering, yet the truth remains: knowledge is never given without it. This does not mean we should inflict suffering, but when it comes, we pray to God for the strength to overcome it.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead. And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but on man’s.” And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:31-38)

Christ suffered for us not because He lacked knowledge of God, but as our leader, He suffered so that we could endure our own sufferings and come to understand God.

These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)